ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — a box
  4. spell — a short time
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lean — to bend
  7. perch — the fish
  8. clip — to cut
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — letters
  12. field — for sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. clip — a video
  19. bass — low music
  20. spell — magic
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com